Consistency is Key
Rams poised for success behind Crocker’s vocal leadership
Braidon Nourse
If you ain’t Crockin’, you ain’t rockin’.
An inside joke between Colorado State women’s basketball coach Ryun Williams and senior guard Cailyn Crocker, which in many ways epitomizes both the relationship between the two and her role on the team.
The best basketball teams have no lack of stability, and the best players provide it on a nightly basis. Often, it reflects in box scores or a shooting percentage; sometimes, just being a reliable leader can make the difference.
“I think the thing that impresses me and everyone on the team the most about Cailyn is her consistency,” graduate student and teammate McKenna Hofschild said. “She shows up every day ready to work, ready to be a good teammate, ready to be vocal and do all the little things it takes to get big wins. Since she’s been here, I think she’s established more of a toughness and more of a teamwork atmosphere which I think has helped us and improved our game.
“Some people are naturally born with a really good leadership aura around them and she’s one of them, for sure. She knows how to pick people up, she knows how to hold people accountable. She leads not only with her voice but also with her actions.”
Simply put, there’s a way CSU’s program likes to rock. For Williams, Crocker fits the bill in every possible way. As she approaches her second season with the team, she’s created and filled a unique role on a Mountain West contender.
When he scouted Crocker out of Cal two years ago, the intangibles — effort, physicality, vocalness — drove Williams’ interest in the guard. When they met, he was enamored with how her passion for the game mirrored her attitude off the court.
“The first thing you recognize about Crocker is just the enthusiasm and the passion she plays the game with,” Williams said. “She’s a heartbeat on that floor and it’s very easy to see. Obviously, she’s a very aggressive, physical driver, that’s one thing which stood out and really fits how we play, and she’s a good shooter. She just had all the abilities which really fit our system.”
“When we brought her on campus, we finally got to see and meet the special person she is. She has a beautiful personality and what a tremendous leader she’s been for us. She’s our rock, you know, she’s the kid I feel like I can really coach. Even if she doesn’t necessarily screw up, I can get on her, she’ll take it for the rest of the team. That’s what I love, and I think she’s primed to have a really good season.”
As Crocker decided to transfer, the Cypress, Calif. native knew she may end up living outside of her home state for the first time. Naturally, she needed to make a careful decision.
Upon meeting, Crocker found a mutual captivation with Williams in the same things he liked about her. The little things counted most: a fun demeanor, a vocal style of leadership and most importantly a tenacity to improve and win at the highest level.
I understand that’s one of my things I have to bring every single day and show up with is my vocalness and my communication because it helps and makes people feel more comfortable and things like that. And I just have a loud voice, unfortunately.Cailyn Crocker
When she met her eventual teammates, she saw much of the same, which made her feel welcome and at home despite being more than 1,000 miles away from her base. But perhaps the most inviting aspect was the level of intensity displayed in daily habits at practice. It didn’t take long for her to want in on the action.
“I see people always getting shots up, always working on their game,” Crocker said. “But we also hang out outside of practice. It’s just a chill place to be and you have a lot of freedom, but everybody understands what the end goal is. So, I think having a relationship with coach Ryun especially, he’s always going to yell at you, laugh at you, make a joke at you, it’s just very much a chill, dad personality. I think he and I really connected in our conversations in the beginning.”
With Crocker officially a Ram as the 2022 season went on, one habit surfaced quickly for her teammates to perceive: her voice.
Whether at practice or a game, the voice echoing over the rest is usually Crocker’s. She could be communicating on a ball screen or cheering for a teammate, but in any case, she’s used her vocal chords on the court ever since she could.
Since arriving in Fort Collins, it’s become a way of life, not only for her, but also for the team. Williams still has to remind players here and there to communicate, but seldom Crocker. Now, it’s such a routine which would nearly throw off the balance of the world should she ever cease for a day.
“I’ve been doing it my whole life so it kind of comes second nature at this point,” Crocker said. “I guess when you do it every day, like if I just randomly stop, then the normality is gone and we’re kind of off in practice and in games. I understand that’s one of my things I have to bring every single day and show up with is my vocalness and my communication because it helps and makes people feel more comfortable and things like that. And I just have a loud voice, unfortunately.”
For Williams, what’s deeply ingrained in Crocker isn’t much of a surprise given her personality. In fact, it’s a symptom of her buoyant passion for basketball. A side effect of her feel for and knowledge of the game. An ailment for mistakes made by the team.
No wonder Crocker needs no reminder to use her big voice.
“That’s because she knows what’s going on,” Williams said. “She’s very confident in what she brings to the floor, she sees the game the right way, which allows her to communicate correctly. So yeah, she saves a lot of possessions for us because she talks, and we make up for a lot of mistakes because of how she talks.”
As she found a more dependable role as a leader of the Rams, she received a more consistent role on the court as well, thriving in the process.
In her sophomore year at Cal, she started just more than half the games she played, shooting 30 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3. Her junior year at CSU, she started 30 of 31 games, the only player besides Hofschild to start at least 30 games. She improved her shooting marks to 46 percent from the field, 41 from 3.
According to Williams, there was no secret formula to her production taking a climb. The only difference was to simply give Crocker the increased role. She just happened to take it and run with the chance.
“I think the biggest thing which allowed her to keep growing is her responsibility,” Williams said. “We just kept putting more on her plate. At Cal, she probably didn’t have a lot on her plate as far as responsibility. Here, she just welcomed it and we loved putting it on her plate because she was becoming quite productive for us. That’s where I think she probably grew the quickest, just accepting responsibility and performing it.”
Williams’ faith certainly helped, but Crocker cites the effort and belief of everyone involved in her jump in efficiency. Her teammates built confidence in her; she took it and gave them more reason to confide in her.
For Crocker, that’s exactly what made CSU the destination for her and so far, it’s worked out in everyone’s favor a year into her career as a Ram.
“I think it was just believing in myself,” Crocker said. “The journey of the athlete, the confidence and belief is always up and down. I think I understand now and understood then that my teammates believe in me. It’s a different type of belief with my coaches and teammates; I know when McKenna goes in, does what she does and passes it out to me, she expects me to make that shot and wants me to make that shot.”
When you have a player like Hofschild on your team, it’s important to put pieces around them to compliment their playstyle. Hofschild is a versatile, do-everything guard who keeps teammates and opponents on their toes with the ability to whip passes around like no other.
From Hofschild’s point of view, teammates who fit are the ones who know when a pass is coming and who can knock down the shot or finish the play. It takes a lot of trust, which between her and Crocker, was easy to build in such a short time.
“For me as a point guard, being able to look to my left, look to my right and know I’ve got someone who is going to be there, show up consistently, be able to get things done when it counts and when it matters is huge,” Hofschild said. “I have all the confidence in her and I think everyone has all the confidence in her. That’s just kind of made her get better, elevate her game, and she’s helped elevate the entire team.”
With those things in mind, the Rams are preparing for their exhibition against UCCS this Thursday and their season opener against Le Moyne Monday, Nov. 6 at Moby Arena at 5:30 p.m.
Until then, they’re continuing to rock, just the way Crocker drew it up.